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Glossary: golf lingo explained

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Updated 12:34 PM Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Like many sports, golf has it's own lingo that can sometimes be hard to interpret. Here's a quick guide to help you speak the language.

Addressing the ball

Assuming a stance and touching the club to the ground prior to hitting it.

All square

A term used to describe a match that is tied.

Approach shot

One that is expected to land on the green.

Apron

Fringe of closely cut grass leading to the green.

Away

The player whose ball lies farthest from the hole is said to be away.

Back door

The side of the cup opposite the  player’s ball.  Sometimes a ball will roll around the cup and enter by the back door.

Back nine

The second nine holes of an 18-hole course.

Backspin

Reverse spin that cause a ball to back up on the golf course.

Backswing

A turn of the hips and shoulders made before moving the club forward.

Banana

A shot that is sliced off line, causing the ball flight to take the shape of a banana.

Best ball

Format in which only the lowest score of a foursome is used.

Better ball

Format in which only the lower of two scores is used on each hole.

Birdie

A hole played in one under par.

Bite

Descriptive term for when a ball reverses direction after landing because of strong backspin.

Blind hole

A hole whose green is not visible from the tee.

Bogey

A hole played via one over par.

Bunker

An area of ground along a fairway from which soil has been moved. Sometimes it has been filled with sand. It is a hazard, but golf purists never call it a sand trap.

Buried lie

A ball sitting down so deeply in the rough that it can barely be seen.

Caddy

A person who carries the golfer’s clubs.

Chip shot

A delicate run-up shot with a flat  trajectory.

Cup

A metal or plastic  liner fitted into the hole in the green.

Dance floor

Slang term for the putting green.

Divot

A piece of turf scooped from the ground by a golf club.

Dogleg

A hole with a sharply angled fairway.

Double bogey

A hole played in two strokes over par.

Double eagle

A hole played in three strokes less than par.

Draw

A term used to describe a hooked shot.

Driver

A club with the longest shaft and least loft.

Duffer

A golfer who seldom sniffs par.

Eagle

A hole played in two under par.

Fade

A term used to describe a gentle slice.

Fairway

The mowed area between the tee and the green.

Flagstick

The metal pole emerging from each hole.

Foursome

Four golfers playing together.

Gimme

A putt so short that it is conceded.

Grain

The direction that grass grows on a putting green.

Handicap

An allocation of one or more strokes that allows one player to be  competitive with another of greater skill.

Hazard

An obstacle on the course in which a player’s club is not permitted to touch the sand or water before the swing has begun.

Hole-in-one

A ball hit directly into the cup from the tee.

Honor

The privilege of  hitting first.

Knee-knocker

A short, but easily missable putt.

Lay-up

A shot played  purposely short of a hazard.

Links

Traditional seaside golf course.

Mulligan

An additional shot often taken on the first tee after the first shot goes out of bounds, into the trees or into the water. No stroke is charged. (Mulligans are not permitted in tournaments.)

Par

The number of strokes assigned to a hole, usually 3, 4 or 5.

Penalty stroke

A stroke assessed for hitting a ball to where it couldn’t be played or for rules infractions.

Pro-Am

Charity golf tournament in which professionals are paired with amateurs.

Provisional ball

A substitute shot played in case the first ball is not found.

Relief

A situation in which a player may move the ball without penalty.

Rough

Naturally wild or  long-grassed area bordering the  fairway.

Sandbagger

One who has a  fraudulent handicap and wins matches by pretending to be poorer than he is. He takes too many handicap strokes.

Scramble

Tournament format that calls for each player in a foursome to hit a shot and then each plays the next shot from the spot where the best-positioned ball rests.

Scratch player

A par golfer who has a zero handicap.

Shank

A shot that hits off the edge of a club or the shaft and goes dead right or left.

Stimpmeter

Device used to  measure the speed of the greens.

Stroke

Any forward motion of the club made with the intention of advancing the ball. This includes a whiff.

Sweet spot

The specific place on the clubface that produces  maximum accuracy and power.

Tee

Small peg on which the ball is placed for a drive from the teeing ground.